Maggie Beckley is the Real Estate Manager at Aurora Health Care. She received her B.S. from Xavier University of Louisiana in Finance and Accounting and her MBA with a focus on Real Estate and Commercial Development from Roosevelt University where she held honors as a Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Scholar. Maggie also completed Marquette’s Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) Program and is a licensed real estate broker.
She currently serves as board treasurer of Lead2Change, Inc., a youth leadership organization committed to empowering and inspiring youth to be catalysts for change in their communities and also as board treasurer for CUPED Corporation, which promotes and protects traditional urban neighborhoods by working to eliminate physical, economic and social deterioration. It was formed by individuals with vision and experience in real estate and a passion for urban Milwaukee.

Dr. Berdie Cowser has been involved with Center for Veterans Issues, LTD. and homeless veterans’ programs since May 2001. She is currently the Bureau Director of Milwaukee Transitional Services and Programs, which includes VETS Place Central, VETS Place Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, VETS Place Boudicca House, VETS Place North, VETS Place Park Hill and the supportive services operation at the Thomas H. Wynn Memorial Veterans Manor. These programs provide permanent supportive and transitional housing to veterans who are motivated to change their homeless condition by honest self-examination and commitment to learning new behaviors and attributes.

As the Director, Dr. Cowser oversees the activities of the Bureau of Milwaukee Transitional Services and Programs. This includes providing command and control for more than 50 personnel (CVI staff, Transitional jobs participants, interns, and volunteers) and provision of housing and other wraparound services for more than 200 veterans on any given night. In addition to the CVI staff, the program she leads includes Federal Veterans Administration Medical Center employees.

Dr. Cowser was commissioned as a United States Army Officer in the Quartermaster Corps through Auburn University’s ROTC program in 1999 and graduated from Alabama State University with a Baccalaureate Degree of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Military Science. She holds dual master’s degrees in organizational development and leadership, an MBA and an PhD in Educational Leadership, Learning and Service both from Cardinal Stritch University. The Milwaukee Business Journal honored Dr. Cowser in the Forty under Forty class of 2016 as one of Milwaukee’s up and coming young bright leaders. Dr. Cowser is a member of the Links, Inc. Cream City (WI) Chapter, the Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals, a Rotary Club member, A-LEGO member and volunteers as a mentor-coach for Pearls for Teen Girls. She is a member of St. John Church of God in Christ, Inc.

Name:
John Daniels, III

Business/Organization:
A.L.I.V.E., Inc.

Current Title:
Director

Biography:

Whether he’s prepping high school students for the college experience, mentoring young students from local colleges, building urban gardens on Milwaukee’s east side, or pastoring at his church, John Daniels III has “a heart for collaboration that our city needs,” according to 40 Under 40 nomination papers submitted in his support.

When Daniels launched A.L.I.V.E. Inc. (Administering Life in Vocational Experiences) a decade ago, he personally funded it with his own resources. The organization started as a summer enrichment program to encourage urban youth to pursue careers in technology; today it is a multi-faceted vocational and leadership mentoring program with initiatives that include MKE Fellows, which encourages black male students to complete their college educations and return to Milwaukee, and Sow & Grow, which brings healthy food and urban gardens to emerging communities in the city.

Daniels is pastor of Old Mount Zion New Jerusalem church Milwaukee’s lower east side, overseeing an active community that serves the needs of Milwaukee’s homeless and sends relief funds to a sister ministry in Jamaica.
He also co-founded OneMKE, which works to form cross-cultural connections among diverse young professionals in Milwaukee.

Name: Jason Dzwinel

Business/Organization:
Ozaukee County

Current Title:
County Administrator

Biography:

Jason Dzwinel is the County Administrator for Ozaukee County, a forward focused and high performing local government in Southeastern Wisconsin. As the county’s highest ranking administrative official, Jason serves the Ozaukee County Board and oversees all of its government operations. Jason is passionate about the competent and professional delivery of local government services to the public. Jason believes in the power of Ozaukee County to make a difference by developing the professional capabilities and capacity of those he works and partners with in service. Jason began his 15 year career in Ozaukee County in the Administrator’s Office and held many roles in the Department of Administration throughout that time. Before his appointment to County Administrator Jason served as Assistant County Administrator, Human Resources Director and Information Technology Director.

Energetic Human Resources Business Partner and change agent with over 25 years of stimulating experiences in financial services, technology, recruiting and consulting organizations. Joined Baird in 2014 with a passion for inspiring and motivating people to achieve happiness and fulfillment in their careers. Savvy at simplifying complex business issues to help people understand what it really means, while driving results that make business executives smile. Silent sports enthusiast who loves hiking, gardening, traveling and engaging in culinary adventures in her kitchen. Happily married empty nester with three exceptional daughters.

Erin Henry is the Senior Director – Integration & Organizational Effectiveness at Northwestern Mutual. In this role, she’s responsible for providing thought leadership, tools and analyses to advise leaders on strengthening the link between strategy and human capital to accelerate organizational performance. Before this role, she was the Assistant Director – Strategic Workforce Planning, where she was responsible for designing and launching the company’s enterprise strategic workforce planning methodology to align the workforce with the organization’s strategic priorities. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Henry worked at Johnson Controls, where she worked in multiple capacities, including supplier diversity and sustainability, continuous improvement and strategic planning.

Trained as an organizational sociologist, Henry’s expertise centers on cross-boundary leadership and collaboration to drive organizational strategy and innovation. She has published several academic articles and case studies on topics including collaboration, leadership, innovation and business history.

She serves on the boards of Community Advocates as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Harvard Business School Club of Wisconsin as the VP of Membership. Henry is a member of the Academy of Management and the Society of Organizational-Industrial Psychologists (SIOP).

Henry received a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard Business School, AM in Sociology from Harvard University, MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and BA in Economics and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Certified Change Practitioner.

Name:Kira Lafond

Business/Organization:
Milwaukee Business Journal

Current Title:
Market President/Publisher

Biography:
Dynamic, energetic sales and marketing specialist with a 30 year track record of solid growth and sales leadership. Over nine years as a Market Manager for clusters of up to 7 radio stations in suburban Chicago. Successful at driving focused sales and programming teams to surpassing financial and ratings goals. Skilled in training, turnover reduction, recruiting, strategic and financial planning and execution. Exceptional ability to seek and enhance key customer relationships and secure new business partnerships. Known for providing predictable revenue and profits for shareholders.

My name is Jason Mikulski and I am currently Operations Manager with The Eaton Corporation in Watertown, WI.
I am originally from Chesterfield, Michigan and I spent the first 27 years of my life living and working in SE Michigan. My wife and I started our careers and our family in SE Michigan before moving to Wisconsin in 2010. My wife Amy and I have been together for 15 years and we have 3 children, Parker 13, Aubrey 9, and Greyson 4. I hold a BBA and MBA from Walsh College in Troy Michigan as well as several professional certifications such as Six Sigma Black Belt and CPIM.
I have worked in Manufacturing since 2006 in a variety of different roles and for a variety of different companies. I have spent time as a manufacturing team leader, supervisor, area manager, warehouse manager, production manager, production and inventory control manager and most recently plant manager. I have worked in these roles for several large organizations such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Logistics Insights Corporation, Oshkosh Corporation, Rockwell Automation and the Eaton Corporation

Name:
Chandra D. Rodgers

Business/Organization:
Associated Bank

Current Title:
Vice President and Consumer Lending Product Manager

Biography:
Chandra Rodgers is a Vice President and Consumer Lending Product Manager for Associated Bank. In this role, she is a driving force behind the maintenance, fine-tuning, and development of Consumer Credit products such as Home Equity Lines, Unsecured Loans/Lines and Auto Loans. She is responsible for business strategy and growth for the Consumer Lending department. With over 18 years of lending experience, her knack for strategic planning and process improvement make her a sought after leader. She also serves as Co-Chair for Associated Bank’s Cultural Awareness Network for the Milwaukee region, where she is tasked with assisting to improve the bank’s minority hiring and retention goals.
Prior to joining Associated Bank she held leadership positions at BMO Harris Bank and M&I Bank in their Consumer Lending departments. In these roles she was responsible for managing the Processing, Disclosure and Closing departments. Chandra has a bachelor’s degree in Business and a master’s degree in Business Management, both from Cardinal Stritch University. She is passionate about volunteering in the community and working with youth. She served for over 10 years as a Volunteer Advocate for the Sexual Assault Treatment Center of greater Milwaukee, WI and for two years as a Youth and Family Specialist Assistant for Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center.

Name: Jennifer Sabree

Business/Organization:
Medical College of Wisconsin

Current Title:
Associate Department Administrator for
Business Operations

Biography:

Jennifer is a passionate and experienced leader in healthcare with an emphasis on business operations, compliance, policy, strategic planning, human resources and organizational development. She has worked at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in the Department of Pediatrics (DOP) since 2014. Jennifer currently serves as Associate Department Administrator for Business Operations. In this role, Jennifer leads a team that supports business operations and strategy for the DOP’s 24 sections and 700+ faculty and staff, including collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and other partner organizations. She is energetic about continuous process improvement, data-driven decision making and coaching/mentorship. Jennifer began her career at MCW as Business Manager. In 2017, she was promoted to her current role.
Prior to coming to MCW, Jennifer served the state of Wisconsin for 10 years in a variety of roles focused on social services, regulation and compliance. She received her bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and will receive her MBA from Cardinal Stritch University in December 2018. As a life-long learner, Jennifer continually seeks opportunities to grow her knowledge. She is a certified social worker; an Unconscious Bias Trainer (through Cook Ross); has a Trauma Effective Leadership Certificate through the University of Minnesota; and completed MCW’s Executive Leadership Academy through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a member of the Association of Administrators in Academic Pediatrics (AAAP) and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Name:
Marcus Taylor

Business/Organization:
Rockwell Automations, Inc.

Current Title:
Program Manager

Biography:

Marcus Taylor is a Program Manager at Rockwell Automation, Inc. who uses innovative solutions to solve complex problems in industry and in his community. Marcus believes that “there is no such thing as a problem that can’t be solved, there’s just a solution that’s yet to be found.”
Over the last twenty years, Marcus has worked for the Department of Energy (Bechtel Corporation), SC Johnson and Son, Inc., and Rockwell Automation Inc. where he developed expertise in engineering, IT, program management, product design, product development, organizational enablement, and leadership.
Marcus is passionate about engaging people with the tools they need for success and advocating for opportunities for them to display those skills. He can often be found volunteering with the YMCA of greater Milwaukee, National Society of Black Engineers, FIRST, or Lead2Change.
As leader and a mentor, Marcus empowers others to utilize their creative problem solving to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. Marcus’ dedication and commitment has garnered him many accolades, including being featured in Minor Engineering’s Annual Career Planning Issue (2011).
Marcus received his undergraduate degrees in both Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Vanderbilt University and holds a Master of Science degree in Product Design and Development from Northwestern University.

Name: Denise M Thomas

Business/Organization:
The Effective Communication Coach

Current Title:
President/Owner

Biography:

Denise Thomas is the President and Owner of The Effective Communication Coach, LLC, a consultancy focused on helping new and existing professionals master the arts of communication and networking.

With 17 years of experience in working for Fortune 100 companies, Denise has honed the ability to deliver and receive messages across language, cultural, and communication-style barriers. She has served and been recognized for excellence in leadership at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Inc., Rockwell Automation, ConAgra Foods, PepsiCo, General Electric and MillerCoors.
Denise continues her focus on empowering people by coaching professionals globally on communication strategy. Over the years, her formal accolades include being named the ONE MKE "Professional of the Year," the recipient of NV Magazine's 2016 "Movers and Shakers" award and the MillerCoors Diversity and Inclusion award in 2015.
She proudly serves as Leadership Co-Chair for Tempo Milwaukee Emerging Women Leaders, sits on the Board of Directors for the Meta House and serves on the United Way Emerging Leaders Council in Milwaukee. Denise is a graduate of Cardinal Stritch University in Business Management.

Name:Bekki Yang

Business/Organization:
iHeartMedia - Milwaukee

Current Title:
Vice President of Sales

Biography:

Bekki Yang is the Vice President of Sales at iHeartMedia-Milwaukee. She currently manages a staff of over twenty marketing professionals, who develop integrated advertising solutions for both local and national brands. With over 20 years of experience Yang specializes in engaging audiences using traditional and new-media with relevant marketing strategies to grow business.

Bekki’s campaigns have landed nominations and awards such as the Radio Mercury Awards, and her PR experience has garnered coverage in multiple news and media outlets throughout her career. Her work has generated multi-million dollars in sales revenue and she continues to lead innovation at iHeartMedia today.
In addition, Bekki is passionate about giving back to her community and is currently the Co-President of the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. She gives her time, experience and knowledge to help serve the community she lives and works in. Bekki has had held seats on many planning committees in Detroit (Council of Asian Pacific Americans) and Milwaukee (Milwaukee Public Schools, American Cancer Society and Hmong American Friendship).

Besides working, she enjoys spending time with her children and grand-child, playing volleyball, and pool/billiards. Bekki holds a BA in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.